Peppermint Winter
by MarluxiaSutcliff116
Summary: Hayato raised his eyebrows. "Yuuto? What's up?" Yuuto looked around the kitchen at all of them, grinning like a maniac and pausing for effect. They leaned forward and stage-whispered. "It's snowing!"


**Peppermint Winter**

* * *

 _There's the snow_

 _Look out below_

 _And bundle up_

 _Cause here it comes_

Hayato and Yasutomo were yelling animatedly in the background, with Natsuki as referee, when Yuuto happened to look up from their phone and out the window, nearly dropping said device in the process.

They tossed their phone onto the couch and ran to the kitchen archway. Hayato paused in his good-natured banter and looked towards Yuuto as they stood at the entrance to the kitchen, ruby eyes practically sparkling, seemingly holding their breath in their excitement, Yasutomo and Natsuki following his example.

Hayato raised his eyebrows. "Yuuto? What's up?"

Yuuto looked around the kitchen at all of them, grinning like a maniac and pausing for effect. They leaned forward and stage-whispered. "It's _snowing_!"

And with that there was a mad scramble for coats and scarves and gloves and all manner of winter garb, the quartet racing to get outside.

Yasutomo and Natsuki were dressed first, and Yasutomo threw the door open, almost over the threshold when Natsuki grabbed him around his middle and tried to squeeze past him, to get outside first. With a yell, Yasutomo pulled her purple knit hat down over her eyes, trying to pry her off.

In the confusion, Yuuto managed to slip outside past them, quickly followed by Hayato.

The two ravens at the door paused, Yasutomo holding Natsuki at arms' length, and Natsuki holding her brother in a stranglehold by way of his scarf. Realizing what had happened, Yasutomo huffed and shoved Natsuki out the door and into the snow, closing the door behind him and flinging himself on top of her with a howl of laughter.

 _Run outside_

 _So starry eyed_

 _A snowball fight breaks out_

 _And winter has finally begun_

Yuuto had a glint in their eye, which was for once not directed at food, the look of _true_ mischief.

Scooping up a handful of good sticky snow, they shaped it into a ball and let it fly at their brother's head. The snowball smacked into Hayato's red curls, and he gasped, pitching forward for a moment. He looked back at Yuuto, stunned for a moment, before his face split into a grin and he returned the favor with a way-too-big-to-be-accurate snowball.

The Shinkai siblings were engaged in their own snowball fight for a whole sixty seconds before a stray snowball struck Yasutomo right square in the face.

There was a horrified silence as Yasutomo silently blinked snow from his eyes.

Yuuto subtly shifted to the side so that their brother's body was in-between them and Yasutomo.

Yasutomo finally looked up at the siblings, squinting intensely past Hayato at Yuuto.

The younger Shinkai let out a shaky laugh.

Yasutomo got to his feet slowly, stopping only to gather a good handful of snow.

As he packed it tightly, Yasutomo spoke to Yuuto. "You forget that I used to play baseball."

Yuuto gulped audibly.

Yasutomo tossed the snowball into the air a few times to test the weight, jerking his chin at Yuuto. "Run."

" _Oh shit._ "

Yuuto bolted from behind their brother just as Hayato dropped to the ground, hands over his head.

Yuuto hadn't even made it off the front lawn before the snowball smacked right into the back of their head. They clutched at their chest, dramatically groaning and swaying before falling backwards into a snowdrift.

Raucous laughter followed their actions, and before long the snowball fight began anew, this time all four participating.

 _I twirl through the driveway with angelic grace_

 _Till I slip on the sidewalk and fall on my face_

 _This peppermint winter is so sugar sweet_

 _I don't need to taste to believe_

 _What's December without Christmas Eve?_

When the snowball fight, version 2.0, had finally let up, they all found themselves making snow angels and just romping around in the snow, reveling in the soft, new flakes that were falling from the sky.

Yuuto began twirling through the snow, much to Natsuki's amusement. They moved as if they were dancing, and Natsuki's laughter turned into a fond smile.

She got up from her most recent snow angel and ran up to Yuuto, who held out their hands to her. Natsuki grinned and took Yuuto's hands, and they both took turns twirling the other in a circle, with one hand, in the snow.

They kept it up for a good while, and they both eventually looked over to see what Hayato and Yasutomo were doing.

The snow had gotten so deep they almost missed them. Hayato was flat on his back, one hand behind his head with his knees raised on either side of Yasutomo's body. The raven was resting softly against the redhead's chest, his chin resting on Hayato's coat collar as he gently brushed snow from his partner's messy hair. Hayato's other hand, which had lost its glove at some point, was resting at the nape of Yasutomo's neck, and the two made such a distracting picture that both Yuuto and Natsuki lost their grip on the other and flung apart.

Yuuto managed to trip over their own feet, and instead of landing on their back again, they got a good taste of the fresh snow, face planting into another pile of snow, followed by more laughter.

 _Hop in the sleigh_

 _And we'll glide away_

 _Into the night_

 _And we'll sip on moonlight_

 _Runny nose_

 _My frosty toes_

 _Are getting cold but I feel alive_

 _So I smile wide_

Yuuto was getting cold. They were sniffling, they officially couldn't feel their toes anymore, and their fingers were getting there too.

They looked around, at their brother and Yasutomo romping around in the snow near the front windows, then at Natsuki making a mini-snowman, and grinned, deciding that a little longer couldn't hurt.

 _The snowflakes start falling and I start to float_

 _Till my mean older brother stuffs snow down my coat_

 _This peppermint winter is so sugar sweet_

 _I don't need to taste to believe_

 _What's December without Christmas Eve?_

After a while, the snow began to get heavier. Yuuto was just standing with Natsuki now, and they were watching the world around them turn white.

That is, until both their brothers came up behind them and simultaneously shoved snow down their jackets.

Natsuki shrieked and spun around, jump-tackling Yasutomo to the ground.

Yuuto just squirmed. "Nooooo! Hayatoooooooo!"

Hayato laughed, resulting in a pout from Yuuto.

In return, Hayato ruffled their ebony hair. "Don't look so glum, I'll make you some hot chocolate when we get inside."

Yuuto raised a brow, suddenly all business. "The good stuff?"

Hayato barked a laugh. "What other kind is there when it comes to hot chocolate? Remember who you're talking to!"

Hayato turned to the Arakita siblings who were still tussling on the ground, Yasutomo, for once, being the one pinned underneath Natsuki.

"Hey! Last one inside doesn't get hot chocolate!"

And with those parting words, Hayato and Yuuto were off like shots, through the front door before Natsuki could even get up.

 _All this holiday cheer_

 _Heaven knows where it goes_

 _But it returns every year_

 _And though this winter does nothing but storm_

 _The joy in my heart is ablaze and it's keeping me warm_

 _It's keeping me warm_

 _It's keeping me warm_

Yuuto and Natsuki were seated on the couch in the living room, comfortably tucked into fuzzy socks and sweaters and holding mugs of hot chocolate.

A Christmas movie was playing in the background, almost on mute, as the two conversed quietly, waiting for their brothers.

Yasutomo had been the one last inside, and had been bemoaning the loss of hot chocolate for a solid ten minutes while Hayato made Yuuto and Natsuki theirs, and was currently in the process of subtly begging.

Every time their conversation lulled, Yuuto and Natsuki could hear the raven whining, but for every snicker Yasutomo heard his hand appeared from the kitchen, complete with middle finger raised, which only caused more laughter, but the two in the living room were beginning to think that that was the angle.

"Alright, now hush." Hayato's voice floated to them, and Yasutomo was so silent, Yuuto just knew that Hayato must have kissed the end of his cold nose.

A few moments later, Hayato's soft laughter rang from the kitchen, and Yuuto nodded their head sagely.

Natsuki tilted her head. "What?"

Yuuto grinned. "Hayatooo. You kissed Arakita-san's nose, didn't you?"

Instead of Hayato, Yasutomo whipped his head around the archway, cheeks dusted pink and indignant, put-out expression on his face all the confirmation Yuuto needed.

Natsuki giggled and Yuuto grinned at her, Hayato's laughter and Yasutomo's grudging chuckle following soon after.

Yuuto couldn't remember the last time they had felt this warm on such a cold day.

 _I rip off the wrapping and tear through the box_

 _Till I end up with 45 new pairs of socks_

 _This peppermint winter is so sugar sweet_

 _I don't need to taste to believe_

 _What's December without Christmas Eve?_

With the movie still playing, the quartet finally got to the subject of tradition. Said tradition was opening one present, and one present only, on Christmas Eve. The rest of the gifts would be left for the next day.

Everyone present had gotten more than one gift from each other, and the decision was unsaid that they would be opening a gift from someone present.

Hayato balanced his neatly wrapped gift on his knee. "Yasutomo, I have an important question before we begin."

Yasutomo raised his head. "And what's that?"

There was a short pause. "Who wrapped this? Because I know it wasn't you."

Hayato was grinning as he said it, but Yasutomo still jumped up with a howl of, "INGRATE."

Everyone ended up laughing, as it was with most of Hayato and Yasutomo's antics, though Natsuki did chime in. "Yasu actually did wrap all his gifts. He was watching our mother like a hawk for hours though." She snickered, earning her a pillow to the face for her troubles.

Hayato quieted everyone down. "All right, on the count of three! One, two, three!"

Bows were tugged, paper ripped, and boxes opened, and very soon there were four incredulous people comparing… _socks_.

Yuuto stared around in disbelief. "I can't believe that we _all_ managed to pick the sock gift first…" After a moment of deliberation, they nodded. "Impressive."

After another look around at each other, they all burst into laughter once more.

The decision to wear their new gifts was unanimous, and soon four pairs of newly socked feet were lined up next to each other on the couch.

Hayato had slung his arm around Yasutomo, who was hell bent on burrowing into his side, and Natsuki had propped her feet up on Yuuto's ankles, the two of them curling up under a blanket together.

Hayato leaned down to press a kiss to Yasutomo's forehead, reaching over to ruffle Yuuto's hair just as Natsuki took their right hand, which was closest to her.

The two said almost together.

"Merry Christmas everybody."

"Merry Christmas guys."

Everyone laughed at that, exchanging their holiday wishes.

Very soon after found all four dozing off, warmed with hot chocolate and each other.

Yuuto sighed happily, with Hayato on one side and Natsuki on the other, closing their eyes with a smile.

* * *

 _ **A/N**_

 **So this is my life. I can not function without ShinAra in some way shape or form.**

 **But anywaY I FINALLY WROTE SOMETHING WITH YUUTO IN IT GOD IT TOOK ME LONG ENOUGH.**

 **Lmao MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY XD**

 **BUT NAW, HOW DID I EVEN DO THIS? I DON'T WRITE FOR A MONTH AND THEN THERE'S THIS. I CONFUSE MYSELF JFC**

 **But for real I'm not even sorry. The only excuse I offer is that I work at Hallmark, and you'd think Christmas stuff would end around March or April, but then BAM IT'S CHRISTMAS IN JULY. Also it's cold enough today that I'm layering a tank top underneath a long sleeved shirt with sweatpants and fuzzy socks AND A MOTHERFUCKING BLANKET AROUND MY SHOULDERS. IT IS AUGUST FUCKING 20TH. IT SHOULD NOT BE THIS FUCKING COLD WTF.**

 **And, well obviously, Owl City (same title as this if you haven't heard it), soooooo…**

 **…/ahem/ so yeah. That's my excuse. Besides, the Christmas stuff I write closer to Christmas just gets depressinggg TTwTT**

 **So ye, here you go.**

 **(Also the only way to make hot chocolate is with hot milk, sugar and cocoa powder, not the stupid little packaged mixes ^ end of story. So that's what that was. I take hot chocolate very seriously.)**

 **((Also ALSO Natsuki is credited to Komarty (this is obviously not the same AU as Homozygous Recessive pffft whatareyoutalkingabout ;_ )))**


End file.
